Friday, January 29, 2010

My husband has recently been travelling for work which involves frequent trips to and from the airport. This Free-For-All list is all about the airport with preschoolers.

1) Little boys think that moving pedestrian walkways are the coolest thing ever. And mommies think that moving pedestrian walkways are the coolest thing ever for keeping little boys busy. How much do you think it would cost to have them installed in the backyard? Better yet, it would be super cool to have a bi-directional one installed upstairs in the hallway. That might just make laundry more fun.

2) One evening while my husband was gone, we decided to try Skype. The boys got so excited because they were going to get to see Daddy. However, when Big Sticky realized it was on the computer, he said "But I don't want to talk to that Daddy. I want to talk to the Daddy we left at the airport." (Rest assured folks the two daddy's he is referring to is one in the same. No breaking news stories here... just a little boy who thought he was going to see his daddy in person.)

3) When trying to get your sons to be careful on the escalator, you might want to make sure that you are also doing the same. Especially when wearing wedge shoes and toting a child on your hip. Yes. I tripped up the escalator. Fell on my bum. L'edMAO. Made a quick glance around to see who was looking, and then brushed it off as if one of the boys accidentally fell into me.

4) Immediately after getting daddy, piling all the kids and luggage into the car and then taking off, Princess decides she is overcome with emotion and gets sick... very sick. It was yucky and stinky. And because of airport security, you can't just pull over anywhere to clean up everything. We finally pull over at the observation deck so that Daddy could get the boys out and keep them safely preoccupied while I cleaned up Princess, the van, and her carseat. It was so smelly, we had to drive home in the freezing cold with the windows cracked open. Ugh.

5) Speaking totally from my husband's perspective, there is probably no better feeling than to arrive home after a long week of unfamiliar people and places to hear two little boys yell at the top of their lungs, "Daddy! Daddy!" as they dart thru strangers to get to their very own Super Hero. Oh yeah, and then there is Princess who is practically leaping out of her mommy's arms to get to her Prince Charming.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Second edition of the Friday Free-For-All. This one should be dubbed the Kitchen for Dummies list. And away it goes.

1) Cream of Tartar is a powder. It is also a vital ingredient for Play-dough (if you ever need to make your own). Inquiring minds like myself had to to know exactly what this stuff is and does. So, like any true research analyst would do, I wikipedia'd it. Also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, CoT is a byproduct of winemaking. Hmm. I was quite fascinated with my new found knowledge. You really should look it up the next time you are feeling a little bit inquisitive and have an extra six minutes to kill.

2) I use one of those nifty little microwave splatter guard toppers to keep my food from, well, splattering of course. It works great and I hardly ever have to wipe down my nuker anymore. However, I recently learned that you shouldn't pop a bag of popcorn on top of it. Turns out the two will melt together. Oops.

3) Canned pumpkin is not found in the canned vegetable aisle. After searching two different grocery stores, I learned that it is shelved with the pie fillings. So there you go. And just in case you are ever told that you can substitute a can of pumpkin for the egg and oil needed to make a chocolate cake from a box, you absolutely can. The texture is almost identical. However, it will have a slight pumpkin taste which can easily be masked with a topping of ice cream. But that kind of defeats the purpose. Right?

4) Diapers can double duty as a pick-up for large liquid spills in the kitchen - especially for those spills that are so far from the sink or trashcan that while running with a gianormous pile of dripping wet paper towels you would leave a greater mess of sticky polka dots all over the floor that, if missed during clean-up, will eventually morph into what I like to call "floor velcro."

5) Spring mounted cafe rods can be used to make your own pantry platter organizer. Simply place two rods on the vertical between shelves. I added a rubber drawer liner to keep my platters from slipping. See photo below. You can thank Martha for this one.

Friday, January 15, 2010

I recently learned that a blogger friend of mine does a weekly list. Since the purpose of me blogging is to record and share memories, tidbits, and tiny tales, a weekly list affords me a "quick" avenue for adding more content to this site.

For now, I am calling it Friday Free-For-All. Why Free4All? Because the list is totally random in nature. You may see something one of the kids said or did, something I learned, a milesstone met, or just some indiscriminate mommy moment. I will try and keep it short and limit the list to five items. My plan is to make the posts each Friday - just because I try to flush my brain over the weekend.

Thanks to Melissa for the idea!! So here goes.

1) Princess can now open doors. Apparently, we are raising a future cat burglar. Since she (at only 17 months) has already figured out how to get past child proof cabinet locks, navigate the step ladder in the pantry, climb out of her crib, and can now open doors, we are at a total loss as to how we keep unfriendly kid products out of her reach. I am SO open to ideas on this one...

2) If you happen to run out of glue and by chance have a box of Strawberry Milkshake Poptarts in your pantry, the inside filling will adhere virtually any porous and non-porous substance. That stuff literally sticks to anything.

3) The dollar store = cheap entertainment. Each child gets to choose two items for purchase. One to keep and one to share. I normally get out of there for 6 bucks or less. However, I need to make sure the boys go potty beforehand. Our last visit, they allowed us to go back into the storage room, only for Big Sticky to hit the Emergency Exit door handle. (You may recall he did this once before at Macy's.) Not only is the siren SO loud, it is SO embarassing!

4) Little Sticky announced earlier in the week that he no longer liked Lamby and Teddy and that Sister could now have them. Of course, by the end of the week he had a total change of heart and was back to carrying his two best friends all over the house. Oh how I love that little guy!!

5) Realization. Santa's bounty of toys has caused an increase in potty accidents. Both boys seem much more interested in playing with their new toys rather than listening to their body. Since I can't bare to let eventual boredom resolve this problem, I have reverted back to setting an hourly alarm. Sigh.

Monday, January 11, 2010

When I was younger (a lot younger), I remember having framed "art" in our bathroom that said "Little boys caught making puddles, Are surely going to be in trouble."

After having a plumber just leave our house, I know two little boys who are surely going to be in trouble! It all started innocently enough with a bath. No, actually it started two weeks ago with mother nature. Frigid cold air and boys being kept inside. So boredom and a bath was the combination for the latest fiasco at this address.

It was late in the afternoon. Neither boy had taken a nap. I had bunko later in the evening and wanted to help my husband out by getting the kids fed, bathed, and worn out. So I feed them lupper (late lunch/early supper) and then put them in the bath, more specifically, I put them in our bath, the big garden tub. And let's face it, for kids, those tubs are like a mini swimming pool. The boys didn't want bubbles 'cause "they're too scratchy?" So after I filled the bath they both dove in and started playing with their water toys while I finish sorting laundry on our bed. That should wear them out for daddy! The last thing I say to them is "No splashing or you will have to get out."

In the meantime, Princess, who also didn't take an afternoon nap, starts getting a little fussy. I take her downstairs to fix her a quick bottle before putting her to bed a little earlier than usual. Just as I am screwing the top on her bottle, I hear a strange noise in the family room. I peak around the corner and nearly gasp all of the air from the downstairs in one breath. Water is pouring through the can light over the fireplace and onto the floor!! O.M.G!!!

I take off running up the stairs and find the two boys still IN the bath and nearly half the water OUT of the bath on the floor. I am paralized. I don't know what to do first! Do I grab a bunch of towels for this floor or the downstairs floor? Do I get the kids out of the tub or just stand there and scream at them? Think! Think! No, take 10 breaths and calm down, nevermind, you don't have time for that! Just get moving lady!!

Okay, okay. So I realize the tub is draining. I plug the tub and start grabbing towels and throwing them on the floor while politely scolding the dear children. Okay, I admit it, I was screaming at the kids. There goes that new years resolution! I pull the boys out of the bath, grab a few more towels and march them downstairs naked and shivering to see the water pouring from the ceiling. I explain (insert little white lie here) calmly that this is why we are NOT supposed to splash. They both look completely puzzled and ask "Mommy, why is there water coming from the ceiling?" BTW, young children don't understand the phrase "DUH!" along with the head nod body language that normally accompanies and the really curious ones will innocently follow with "Mommy, what does duh mean?" Insert deep breath, huge sigh, big eye roll.

I then put more towels down to soak up the water already on the floor and to catch the water still falling from the ceiling, which is finally starting to taper off. I get them back upstairs and dressed and order them to sit on their bed. I head back to the bathroom to start investigating.

Where exactly is this water coming from? I notice there is water everywhere and two different cracks in the caulking. I'm not sure if the water is coming from the cracks or if there could possibly be a leak in the plumbing. So I decide to do a test. I unplug the drain (as there was still about two inches of water left in the bath). I run back downstairs and sure enough water starts pouring thru the light again. It must be the drain pipe!

So just before 5 on a Friday, I am calling a plumber. Not wanting to pay for emergency service, I make an appointment for Monday. The plumber on the phone indicates that when a TV speaker was installed just under the tub 5 years ago, a screw could have pierced the drain pipe and could have recently rusted out leaving a hole in the pipe. Believing his theory, I feel just a little bit guilty for blaming the boys and their splashing.

That guilt all changed this morning when the plumber who cut a HOLE in my ceiling and ran some "drain" tests could not find any leak. Thus, coming to the conclusion that the splashing and the small cracks in the caulking did in fact cause the pouring water thru the ceiling. So as I look up into the 9 inch square hole in my ceiling revealing a pipe and a lovely fiberglass tub bottom, I recall once again "little boys caught making puddles, are surely going to be in trouble!"

Friday, January 8, 2010

Our little Princess of Sticky is 17 months old today. She could also be called Princess of Mischief. Princess Copycat (she will try anything she sees her brothers do - which is NOT good!) Princess of Happytown. Princess of Sillytown. Princess Dimples. She also answers to Love Bug and Sister Pie (Little Sticky calls her the latter).

Mommy's little multi-tasker!

Just don't text and drive little lady!

Is she sticking her tongue out at me? Is that THE finger?

What IS she doing here?

READERS CHALLENGE: Add the best caption to this last photo in the comments section by Tuesday the 12th and win free editing of your favorite snapshot!!

Editing may include any of the following: Removing stains on clothes, boo-boos on skin, distractions in background, minimizing wrinkles and even taking off 10 pounds!! (depending on clothing pattern as plaid is a little hard to disguise).

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Brain freeze. Normally associated with sucking down a super creamy chocolate shake too fast. In my case, it is the result of 2 1/2 weeks of Christmas chaos with the Holiday hooligans who because of the outdoor freezing temperatures have been forced to stay inside and resultingly have ransacked my house with their new planes, trains, and automobiles. And I mean that in a total literal sense.

I haven't been able to think, let alone write or blog. But today things have changed. The boys finally returned to preschool this morning and despite the outside freezing temps, this one event has caused my brain to move into defrost mode. Inside my head feels a little more like slush which means we are ever so close to normalcy.

I cannot believe the Season of Christmas is already over. The only reminders that linger are a few pieces of evergreen and glitter that the vacuum missed, several presents still in their opened boxes that I haven't put away, and just under three hundred cardboard boxes that need to be de-twist-tied and flattened so that I can take them to the local recycling center.

Now we move officially into 2010. I haven't even thought about resolutions. I just know that I need to eat less, exercise more, and yell at the kids a little more softly. So far, I have eaten less, but only because I refused to go grocery shopping until the kids were back in school. The only exercise I have gotten so far is dodging nerf bullets and remote control cars, so I'll have to keep working on that one.

And how about that yelling thing? Well, I must say 5 days into the new year and I have done pretty darn good. After ratting me out the last day of preschool before the holidays, Little Sticky's teacher didn't greet me this afternoon with "Did you talk ugly to him this morning?"

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Mommy Thought for the Day

I'm playing catch up.

Things have been so crazy 'round here since Sticky #4 arrived that I haven't made a post since July 2010!! I still need to post a picture of the little cutie. He is already 10 months old, a carbon copy of Little Sticky, and is desperately trying to live up to his Sticky siblings.

I'm adding the post to our Facebook page if you care to keep up! :-)

Living With Sticky

I take my mommy job (not too) seriously. I am quite often stressed out, rarely the most organized, routinely running late, very often forgetful, but always lots of fun.

I don't do sushi or soy. I would never dream of home-schooling. My coupons are almost always expired. I like crafty, but not fancy. I like a good bargain, but don't consider myself thrify. (You will never catch me rinsing out Ziploc bags to save a buck). I do recycle, but don't consider myself totally green.

So WHY would you visit this site? For a laugh. That's what I do. I write funny stuff about my kids. And occasionally about me and my husband. Sometimes I'll throw in something sweet or sentimental, and every now and then I'll toss in a tip or two.

So save me to your favorites or Fan me on Facebook, and the next time you're having a bad day, come back for a little picker upper.

Introducing the Stickies

_____________________

A sweet and imaginative 6 year old. This little guy has a heart of gold. He loves to pretend play and make up creative stories. He's my good eater and will actually ask for an apple and even broccoli. Don't dub him a saint just yet. Some of those stories he likes to create are fictitious accounts of how certain events unfold around this house. (Like how a puddle of orange juice ended up on the floor).

This big little guy is 5 going on 15. He loves to entertain a crowd and finds humor in everything (even his own falls and spills.) One day he will be on stage as a singer, actor, comedian, or motivational speaker. (My brother claims he is a Chris Farley double.) Known as Mr. Happy to many, he loves to push his older brother's buttons. Oh yeah, and he absolutely ADORES his baby sister and baby brother.

Full of smiles, giggles, and eye batting, this little 3 year old already knows how to get her way. She is the very definition of a social butterfly and loves to be around anyone and everyone. She is also a people pleaser and loves to help Mommy around the house (unlike her older brothers!)

Living With Sticky's Fan Box

Favorite Preschooler Quote

Big and Little had made a landing pad of pillows for jumping off the sofa. Little kept tossing the pillows in a way that frustrated Big, who responded with,

"I just can't work like this anymore."

Parenting Tip

Preschoolers have the need to be in charge.

If I set out specific clothes for the kids in the morning, I get push backs and "I don't wanna wear that!"

If I set out two outfits and give them a choice, they seldom put up a fight.

Rarely will I go through all the trouble of actually setting out two full outfits, it's usually as simple as "Do you want to wear the Mario shirt or Batman."

Changes Coming

I am still in the process of adding Tabs to my site. If all goes as plans, the tabs will include parenting tips, time-saving tips, money saving tips, favorite products and other fun things. I am self schooling in blogger html code, so be patient with me!